In present day homes it has been found advantageous to both control the level of power supplied to such devices as lamps through so-called dimmer switches and also to provide timers for turning such devices as lamps on and off in accordance with a present sequence. The timed turning on and off of the power may be to regulate electrical appliances, or for the purpose of giving the appearance that the home is occupied when in fact the occupants are away. Dimmer switches are now supplied which can be incorporated into the standard wall receptacle for permitting the manual interruption of or regulation of the power level to the devices controlled by the switch.
However, to provide a timed sequence for lamps and other such devices, separate timers are provided which can be plugged into a convenience outlet with the appliance then being plugged into the timer. These timers typically are housed in an attractive plastic housing containing a timing motor, reduction gears, load switch and appropriate time interval setting devices. Normally such timers provide only one turn-on interval during a twenty-four hour period.
It is the primary object of this invention to provide a combined switch mechanism incorporating both a dimmer control and a timer switch which can be installed in a standard switch wall box. It is a further object of this invention to provide a combination dimmer control and timer switch mechanism which can be easily connected into existing house wiring because electrical connections need only be made with one conductor of the circuit being controlled.